Recently, because of the rapid popularization of the Internet, a request for high speed data communication is increasing, and the FTTH (Fiber To The Home) service in which an optical fiber is laid to each home is expanding.
In the FTTH system, in an optical fiber connection closure which is suspended from a telephone pole or the like in the vicinity of the subscriber's home, a required number of cores (1 to 2 cores/subscriber's home) are drawn down from an aerial optical fiber cable, and the aerial optical fiber cable is connected to an optical fiber cable (drop cable) which is run into the subscriber's home.
As a splicing device which facilitates the on-site work of connection between optical fibers such as that between a drop cable and an aerial optical fiber cable, an optical connector in which a mechanical splice is employed in an optical connecting portion has been proposed.
In an optical connector disclosed in Patent Reference 1, for example, a mechanical splice which is placed in the tip end side, and an optical cable gripping member which is continuously joined with the rear end side of the mechanical splice through a coupling member to hold the outer sheath of an optical fiber cable inserted into the mechanical splice are housed in a connector housing.